Talk Fantasy Football

I've been spending some spare time working on a separate game every other weekend or so for a few months, and I've compiled some of the random notes into a strange variant on normal Blood Bowl. I think there's a decent game hiding in there somewhere, though maybe that decent game is just regular Blood Bowl. Try to absorb all the scattered changes before coming up with an idea, because my ordering stinks. I think trying it out is worth a shot, though it's meant to seriously screw with normal strategy, so it may take some getting used to:

Bruise Bowl
The Kinder, Gentler Blood Bowl (based on PBBL)

Basic Rules Changes
* Turnovers only occur if a player on the moving team
has his armour broken.
* The ball carrier has no tackle zone and all AV Rolls
succeed against him automatically.
* Teams can only buy players and fan factor, ever.

(maybe it sounds bloodier so far...)

*Only 2 Normal Actions, Block and Move

Block
Skull - Blocker Down with No AV Roll
Pow/Skull -
- - - - None vs None = Nothing
- - - - Block vs None = AV Roll for Defender
- - - - None vs Block = AV Roll for Attacker
- - - - Block vs Block = AV Rolls for Both Players
Arrow - Push, No AV Roll
Push/Pow -
- - - - None vs None = Push + AV Roll
- - - - None vs Dodge = Push, No AV Roll
- - - - Tackle vs None = Push + AV Roll
- - - - Tackle vs Dodge = Push + AV Roll
Pow - Push + AV Roll with +1 Modifier

AV on Blocks
d8 + ST must be greater than AV of opponent.
1 always fails, 8 always succeeds
Successful AV Roll causes knockdown.

On Knockdown, there's an Injury Roll.
Roll 2 dice.
On double 1,2,3: stunned.
On double 4,5: KO.
On double 6: CAS.
On a 10+, whoever caused the Knockdown gets Carded.

Getting Carded
Each player may get 1 card with no penalty in a game. On the second card he's sent off for the rest of the match. Instead of casualty SPPs, players earn card SPPs.

Move
Standing Up requires an agility roll, no modifier, failure ends action.
Failed Dodges leave players standing with no AV roll.

Grabbing the Ball
There is no bonus to the agility roll for picking up the ball, but players
may attempt multiple pick-ups in a single move.

Free Blocks
Whenever entering an opponent's tackle zone, one opponent is allowed
to throw a free block on the moving player. Getting pushed ends a move action.

Pinning and Being Prone
No player may take an action when prone or stunned in an enemy's tackle zone.
Getting unstunned is an action.
No prone or stunned player may act after a player who started the turn standing.

Using Playing Cards
There's many kinds of cards. The decks with LRB 5. The Playing Cards. Getting Carded. This section is about the Playing Cards.

Both sides draw 5 Playing Cards after every kick.

Blitz - Faces and Aces
Foul - 2s and Aces
Tackle - Red
Handle - Black

Each card may be used once and discarded. Playing Cards aren't declared st the beginning of an action: cards are used during a Move Action as free actions.

Blitz
Throw a Block against any adjacent opponent.

Tackle
Throw a Block against an adjacent ball carrier. The ball carrier gets no defensive assists.

Handle
Many things:
- Make a hand-off.
- Take a hand-off (3rd edition style).
- Throw a pass.
- Catch a hanging pass.
- Attempt a Strip Ball on an opposing ball carrier.

Foul
Make an AV Roll with +1 for every assist against an adjacent prone player.

Passing
Inaccurate passes and passes to empty squares don't do the final bounce until
your turn is over. They hang in the air. That means you can put someone under the
ball to catch it when it falls (like a kick). It also means you can't try to get possession
back until your turn is over or you play another Handle card to roll the Catch.

SPPs: You get passing SPPs whenever a ball is caught by a player on your team before your
turn is over.

Strip Ball
Using a Handle card next to an opposing ball carrier lets you try to strip the ball.
Ball carriers get an HV (Handle Value) score: ST + AG. A player attempting to strip the ball
can use ST or AG, whichever is higher, + d6. 1 always fails, 6 always succeeds. If the ball
is stripped successfully, it scatters to the player who stripped it (no scatter template or d8).

Skill Changes (not complete)
Block, Dodge, Guard, Nerves of Steel, and Claw can only be taken on doubles, and only by players with access to the respective skill categories. In addtion, they cost 40k in team value. They get these functions in addition to their normal abilities: (The Elf Catcher gets Pass Block instead of Nerves of Steel)
Block: May play a tackle to gain an assist for a Free Block taken against you.
Dodge: May play a handle card to cancel an assist for a Free Block taken against you.
Guard: May play a tackle card to re-roll a Free Block.
Nerves of Steel: May play a handle card to add one to a pickup, catch, pass, intercept, or strip ball roll.
Stand Firm / Side Step: May play any card to keep moving after a push was rolled against you in a Free Block.
Claw: May play a blitz card to attempt an AV roll on an arrow push.

Tackle - May play Tackle card for +1 on AV Roll, in addition to normal rules.
Juggernaut - May play Blitz card to avoid free block, in addition to normal rules.
Pass - May play Handle card to avoid fumbling a pass, in addition to normal rules.
Piling On - May play Foul card to foul while prone, in addition to normal rules.
Strip Ball - Re-roll on Strip Ball attempts.
Sure Hands - Re-roll pickups (once per action like any other skill) and +1 HV.
Mighty Blow - Re-roll Armour Roll
Piling On - Re-roll Injury Roll only
Dodge - Block dice changed, still does dodge re-rolls and is cancelled by tackle
Wrestle - May automatically place both down instead of taking an AV Roll on Block Actions or Free Blocks.

Under these changes, every player with AV 9 or better should cost 10k more (and maybe in regular Blood Bowl too).

It's a mess, isn't it?

It would be easir to evaluate the rules if you mentioned what you wish to accomplish with them. What aspetcs of the game does your rule intend to improve. Tell people where the "fun factor" within your rules are.

For example if i'd like a game more like a bloody gang battle for a ball maybe a rules like this.

No AV rolls, always injuries.
One touchdown wins.
An updated injurytable

Then you'll see where I'm going with the rules and you can judge the rules more accordingly. If posted on their own anyone who would read them would say, "Thats just going to cause a major blood bath, et etc". However if that is what I want to create with my rules then thats fine.

While you state that "it's ment to seriously screw with normal strategy" I don't feel thats a mission statement that is good enough. Heck just make everything random and a big table and mission accomplished. I don't believe the intention is just to screw with strategy, somewhere behind the destruction of strategy is a vision of a game working differently, tus with it's own strategy and tactics, and that's what makes it interesting.

So give us the intention of your rules and other will have an easier time to give you feedback.

PS. Yes Im tinkering with my own rules as well, thus found your post.